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Cú Chulainn, the Author of Ulster
In the Pre-War world, there was a great literary legacy among the people of Britannia. However, most authors with books surviving through the Great War seemed to have lived among the British Victorian era. Born in the odd years of 2220's, the man that would be known as Cú Chulainn was born in the most humblest and lowest of places, from there it would seem that luck and skill paved his way to becoming a skilled writer and philosopher. Fragile was his mind, however, and he began to go into sprees of writing bouts in which he would deprive himself of food. This eventually would lead him to a bitter end. He had written several dozen short stories, novellas, and books over his lifetime, however at the time of his death he had written 22 novels in the span of three months. Biography Like most slaves born in the region, the babe that would be Cú Chulainn was born nameless to nameless parents- from some sources, he was born when a rape of one of the laborer, while some say he was born like other slaves to two breeder slaves. The newborn's home was the once proud castle of Dunluce, two generations of slaves and slavers had acquiesced the ruin after the Great War had decimated half of the world and left the other half even worse off. Cú Chulainn was then given to enslaved midwives to care for the babes until they reached an age where they would be broken by the whip and sold off as one type of slave or the other. To determine whether one slave would be bred for war, work, or words was a special lottery. And it happened that Cú Chulainn would be broken into household service, sparing him from the cruel treatment and discipline that was needed for field slaves. Broken upon the whip and having spent most of his childhood behind cold black iron bars, the boy Cú Chulainn was now known as Cooley after something unbeknownst even to himself. When he was ten years of age, it was decided by the slavers that he would be placed as a lot in one of the next slave market that they had held biweekly. When Cooley was presented among the lot, he was sold to one of the Raider-Lords that frequented Dunluce Castle. The Raider-Lord in question was Lord Sawney Bear-Pig, eccentric and ruthless, it was said that he had control over most of the area surrounding Strangford Loch and that he had converted most of Castle Ward and the nearby town of Portaferry into his base-of-operations. From Portaferry, he would sally and ravage the coast of Ireland and England, it was even spoken amongst the house slaves that he had taken a raiding ship into River Seine, managing to pass the infamous Mont St. Michel and into the near inhabitable mainland of France. However, unlike most slaves, Cooley was taught how to read, write, and he had an advanced knowledge of mathematics, so he was more suited to be a house slave than a field slave. And just so, as Lord Sawney Bear-Pig had bought Cooley to be a personal bedwarmer and attendant. From there, he had learned the ways of court, politics, and warfare, and he gained the intimate affections of Lord Sawney. Several sources say that Cooley had befriended many of the slave-masters and house slaves, being rather gregarious-possibly a trait that rubbed off of him by his master. However, many of the field slaves that tended the gardens of Pontaferry grew to resent Cooley as he assisted many of the slave-masters in organizing the work and toil. For six years, he continued to work under the service of Lord Sawney, however as time grew he had been expected to take several pills and poultices daily. He never really inquired about it, as he wasn't going to object to what his master thought was right. However, things grew sour as Lord Sawney became ill. Cooley discovered that it was a venereal disease, one that was passed onto Cooley. Which was the reason why he had been taking the pills for years, as a way to combat the disease. Confronting his master, he demanded an explanation for it, Lord Sawney reveals that the pills were recovered from the coastal cities of Ireland and England. He also revealed that much of the supply of pills had been sacked, leaving only mainland cities untouched by Sawney's forces, he would be sending a party inland but it was dangerous as Sawney's forces were not unmatched on land as they were on the waves. That meant it could takes weeks or months before the raiders return, if they return. Cooley was enraged, however, he was able to quell his rage. However, Cooley was not to fear, as Lord Sawney had graciously offered several months worth of pills, that originally was to be a failsafe for Sawney. Soon throughout the majority of the house-slaves and field-slaves, the word of the dying Sawney spread and there was a desperate mood among the remaining raider garrison. While there wasn't love between the house-slaves and field-slaves, they both longed for the freedom that they had lived without for so long. Cooley, in league with the rest of the revolting slaves, reorganized the guard shifts. He had let many of them stay at their post for long hours, so that when they would strike the guards would either be deep asleep or too tired to be effective. Cooley also tricked a guard into unlocking the armory so that the slaves could gain access. When all was in place, the unbelievable happened. The greater half of the raiders that were sent to recover medicine had arrived, much to the chagrin of the slaves. The slaves still outnumbered the raiders, so they struck anywhere, however, most of the slaves were positioned to guard and protect the entrance from the returning raiders. Inside the walls of Castle Ward, many of the guardsmen were taken and slain unawares. The bedridden Sawney was awestruck when he saw his slave attendants armed and in open rebellion. While most of the slaves that had poured into Lord Sawney's bedchambers were bickering over who would do the honor of slicing Sawney. Cooley had stepped forward. It was a long night of combat on the walls, as inexperienced slaves fought against merciless raiders, but the spirit of the raiders was severely broken when they found the head of Lord Sawney being flung at them. By morning, there was silence and the raiders had dispersed to the outlying based in the lands surrounding Strangford Loch, leaving the medicine cache in front of the walls. Many of the slaves were packing up with what little they had for possessions, while others were burying the dead. Sadden at the fact that he couldn't bring all of the hidden wealth of knowledge that was stored in the library of the Castle Ward, he had decided to only bring his favorite books. Cooley wasn't a proper name anymore, that was his slave name. He had sought in the pages of one of his books for a new name, Cú Chulainn, it was Gaelic. It meant, Culann's Hound. Ironic term for a man with no martial skills. Afterwards, he had taken several bottles of pills that would quell his disease, he hoped he wouldn't run out of the pills until he found a steady source or perhaps a cure. Time at the Hospital Literary Works The earlier of Cú Chulainn are widely circulated among the literate circles of Ulster and the western coasts of Ireland. Many of these newer editions were painstaking written down due to the unavailability of printing presses and thus-though not very rare-luxury items for the merchants and powers of the Éire. During his period of self-exile and reclusive behavior-known as the "Mortum" period due to many of these books being written just days before his death-his works were the product of Cú Chulainn's growing madness due to lack of nourishment. That his Mortum period works were never copied down as well as his earlier works due to the illegibility of some of his handwriting due to violent tremors from his starvation. These illegible works are often just novelties to those who own them, but the most compelling works were the Mortum period novels that one could actually read, which were known for their blend of hallucinations, their author's ideals and fears of the world, and the folly of men as Cú Chulainn saw. Notable Works *''Crabapples'' - Cú Chulainn was fond of Pre-War History, especially the turbulent times of the Early Medieval Ages. He had been inspired by one of his late master's books and decided to compose a historical fiction novel. The novel follows the exploits of a Pisian merchant house, Bourpog, led by patriarch Cagous. Cagous soon leads his family through various hardships, including a trade war with rival merchant republic, Genoa. Cagous soon becomes enamored with the decadence of wealth, becoming fat and wrothful. Towards the end of the novel, Cagous had earned the status of doge and is plotting to murder men on an impulse and is soon trying to assassinate the good-hearted Pope. It ends with the note that Cagous is excommunicated and finds himself too fat to even enter his own castle. The title "Crabapples" comes from the symbolic Crabapples that reoccur and symbolize the dualistic nature of death and life. *''The White Peaches'' - The Sequel to Crabapples, the first half deals with the death of Cagous. The second with the ensuing chaos that comes from his death and the incompetence of his successor- Cagous' good friend-Patriarch Vagabond. Cagous, having constructed a larger door for his body, now reigns as Doge along with his advisor Grand Inquisitor Vagabond. Cagous and Vagabond soon turn their eyes on the island of Malta, from which they plan to expand into Northern Africa, mimicking Cagous' idol Augustus Cesare, who found popularity in his African Campaigns. However, he underestimates the Muslim forces, as the Fatimid forces and Cagous dies due to Consumption that was running rampant among the levies. Pulling in his ties, Patriarch Vagabond finds himself trying to pull the pieces together as Malta revolts and attacks along with the Fatimids. The rest of the book takes place behind the walls of Pisa, as Vagabond tries to keep the peace inside the city. Food becomes rare, as people gather in secret lots and gorge on those who pull the black stone. However, Patriarch Vagabond finds that there are ships on the horizon, thinking them allies from Spain, instead, they are the forces of the trade-city of Genoa. The novel ends as the Genoans enter the gates to find that the city has destroyed itself from the inside. *''The Bleaching Cycle'' - One of Cú Chulainn's earlier works, having written it when he was under the rule of Lord Sawney Bear-Pig. *''Marie of the Gaelic's'' - *''The Abyss: And What I Saw In It's Gaze'' - Regarded as the Magnum Opus of Cú Chulainn, the novel details the journey of Jonathan Whiteside, a young hill tribal hailing from Longford, as the man treks up to Ulster to find a ghoul with the medicine that could heal his mother's leg infection. Jonathan Whiteside finds himself journeying the land as he is thrust into the unknown wasteland, as he explores deeper into the vast flatlands and coasts of Ireland he finds all manner of savory men and creatures that were bred and born in the wastes. After escaping pirates, slavers, being forced to leave friends he had made on his journey to die slowly through starvation in a pit-the eponymous abyss-, he finally makes it to the ghoul's sod house. Only to find that he couldn't pay the ghoul for the medicine, so Jonathan slays him and takes the medicine, along the way he is injured by some bandits and eventually develops gangrene as well. The novel ends on the note of Jonathan limping towards his village until he notices that there's only enough medicine for healing one person. It is often thought that Cú Chulainn derived many of the story elements from his own life and imbued many of the ideas and philosophies that he had developed into it as well. Category:Characters Category:Ireland